The Glory of The Gospel #1

We turn now to God's word to forget about ourselves and to see the glory of the gospel of Jesus Christ.

Seems like every day you hear about the latest self-help program book, the latest diet or exercise program or maybe a new way to invest your money all promising to change your life. Welcome to the truthful with John Green, founding pastor of truth Community Church in Cincinnati Ohio I built right in today as Don kicks off a series called the glory of the gospel will show us that if we want real change in our lives change that will impact our eternal destiny. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the only place were going to find it and done when we genuinely accept the truths found in the gospel were never quite the same again. Are we will bill that's one of the reasons I guess in Scripture refers to salvation as conversion. We are changed from the old man into the new man. Paul says in second Corinthians chapter 5 that if any man is in Christ, he is a new creature.

The old things have passed away. Behold, new things have come.

And that's because when God saves us he gives us new life. He causes us to be born again, he puts his Holy Spirit within us and we have a life that is like the very nature of God in holiness and the pursuit of righteousness.

And so, yes, the gospel changes us.

Christ changes us salvation changes us and that's one of the marks of a true Christian that there is a change that is taken place. It's going to be our privilege to talk about that today, as we study God's word right here on the truth pulpit thanks done right now. Friend, go ahead and open your Bible to first Thessalonians chapter 1 as we join our teacher for part one of a message called the glory of the gospel here on the truthful, you know some people blasphemous lycée. Why want to be drinking beer with my buddies in hell rather than to go to heaven with Christ. The thought of that. All we can say is father forgive them for they don't know what they're saying they don't realize the consequences of what they're saying.

Whatever else other people say about it. You yourself, you individually need to take these things to heart and say let me seek the Lord while he may be found in. That's the that's the benefit of being under God's word is returned to it here because we are offering more importantly in and, more accurately, Jesus Christ himself is offering eternal life to you is offering the forgiveness of sin to you is offering deliverance from health to you. He is offering the eternal blessedness of heaven to you and the words that that were going to be considering here today and so there is a great opportunity for you to make this the day of your salvation. Christ is willing to save you as we will see Christ desires your salvation, and he and he offers himself freely to you without cost and cause you to come to him that you might be saved. And so the gospel is glorious is glorious in a cosmic sense and in my my unsaved friend. It's glorious for you and a personal, individual sense the right now is being presented to you the difference between eternal hell and eternal heaven, and the opportunity is laid before you plainly for you to repent and come to Christ and be delivered utterly and completely that you might know the greatness of Christ and the greatness of eternal life. That's nothing less than what we have before us here is returned to this text and how much we need the help of the Holy Spirit to to communicate and to help us as we turn to his word.

Now the gospel is glorious. We are considering the glory of the gospel and and so we asked this question.

How so why is it glorious what is it about the gospel that is glorious were going to see seven aspects of that from today's text.

Seven distinct reasons for us to to esteem the gospel to cherish it and to proclaim it in humility with confidence that the Lord would bless it to the souls of everyone who would hear. First of all, the first distinct reason that we consider the gospel glorious is this. First of all the gospel changes lives. The gospel literally changes lives. Certainly Christ has changed my life.

From what I used to be and I know many of you that are members of truth Community Church you rejoice in remembering how you are not what you wants were and that difference is the fact that Christ came in Christ saved you will let's reflect on that as believers now in and realize that the wonder, the glory of the fact that the gospel changes lives. The apostle Paul opens this chapter by giving thanks to God for the Thessalonian church that he is writing to these Thessalonian believers used to be utter, thorough pagans, but now their lives have been utterly transformed by the power of Christ and by the power of the gospel that was brought to them. Now look at verse two is will open up their verses two and three from first Thessalonians chapter 1, the apostle Paul says we give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers constantly bearing in mind your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the presence of our God and father. Notice what Paul says. He describes three different aspects three different ways in which their transformed lives had been manifest in a way that he could give thanks to God for because God was the one who by his power had produced this result in their lives. He said he speaks of their work of faith there labor of love and their steadfastness of hope that is the visible fruit of the gospel. Their lives were changed from their prior idolatrous ways and they were now manifesting faith was producing itself was producing work and visible work in their lives they were bringing forth spiritual fruit their lives to 1° or another were manifesting the fruit of the Holy Spirit, the Paul spoke about elsewhere in Galatians chapter 5 verse 22 and 23 love, joy, peace, patient's goodness, kindness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Their lives had been transformed. They were showing forth love to other believers and not only that, not only that there was this certainty of confidence that they had in the ultimate outcome of their salvation.

There was a steadfastness of hope that they had that Christ was going to fulfill all of his promises to them and so their lives were aflame with the glory of the gospel from the from their prior darkness.

They were now walking as children of light.

The gospel had changed their lives.

Now going to go through these things rather briefly. We just want to see an overview here today.

But secondly the gospel does something else that is glorious in that the gospel reveals God's love.

The gospel reveals God's love. It's not just that the gospel changes lives. It reveals God's love and I think that is probably fair to say that the most famous verse in all of the Bible is John 316 that focuses on the love of God for God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life. See that's what we've been talking about all week.

Isn't it the love of God, warning centers and also having sent Christ to deliver us from hell is all an expression of the love of God and when we speak of the love of God. What we what were talking about in this context is the fact that that God at the cost of self-sacrifice that the Lord Jesus Christ at the cost of his own blood, sought out our best interest. Christ sought out our eternal well-being and this is not a mere sentiment of feeling this is the deliberately chosen path by Jesus Christ that he undertook in order to save his people. It shows us how wonderful our good Shepherd is that he would do this for us that that our good Shepherd at the cost of his own life at the temporary sacrifice of his glories in heaven, by which I mean simply that that he he left behind the glory that he was entitled to in order to walk as a humble carpenter on earth that in that Christ sought out our well-being that he identified with us in our humanity. He identified with us in our afflictions and sorrows that at the cross. He took our sins into his body and suffer the penalty that they deserved. There is no greater love than this.

There is no greater love than the fact that Christ laid down his life for us that he did it for sinners like you and I and so what we see here is that the gospel is revealing the love of God to us. And if you look at this in verse four.

You can see it when Paul says, knowing brethren, here it is beloved by God. We are on the receiving end of the love of God, he is made us the objects of his concern.

Whereas we were children of of wrath, even as the rest. Even though we were under the dead, the Lordship of Satan, the father of lies.

Even though you and I were were dead and lifeless in our trespasses and sins, and there was nothing about you. There is nothing about me there is nothing about us to attract God to us. There was no goodness in us.

There certainly was nothing remotely approaching and equality of essence and equality of holiness. None of that existed we were dead we were separated from God by our sins. And yet, while we were like that is when Christ came.

It was when we were in that condition that the spirit came in and applied the gospel to our hearts and brought Christ to us.

Don't you see my friends don't you see my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ that whatever else is happening in your life. We can always go back to that orienting place in our minds that place the that gives perspective to everything else and to recognize the great love of God that he is put upon us in our Lord Jesus Christ.

We are beloved by God, God has shone forth his love for us in a way that brought the gospel to us with power that genuinely saved us that actually made us a new creation in Christ and set us on a path that the lead certainly and without fail to heaven. Don't you see it.

My friends don't you see how effusive and how overflowing and how abundant beyond words, beyond measure, the love of God is for those who who belong to Christ we who deserved that. Hell, of which Jesus spoke now are on the receiving end of the fullness of his blessing having received every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ. That's what God has done for us.

Consider what he has done and realize what he has done testifies about who he is and his perspective on his people's actions reveal the greatness of the love that he has for us what Christ has done shows forth the pinnacle of love through all of the universe for for all of time and eternity in this is love, not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his son to be the propitiation for our sins. See that's what the gospel reveals to us. It reveals the love of God and my Christian friend. Let's just step back and consider our our Christian lives for just a moment here, you realize that God loved you when you were a sinner. That's that's true when you were separated from him, but do you realize what this says that the God loves you and is is keeping you and is seeking your well-being, even in your most imperfect Christian life, even in your times of indifference. God is still loving you with that great, unchanging, immutable love in those times when you've rebelled and sinned against him either in your thoughts or in your actions toward his people or or even in just doubting him in and questioning him and rejecting his word and its application to your life from time to time, you realize that through all of that, the love of God is still being manifested as he continually cleanses you from all of that sin that he keeps you that he does not send you away in that kind of indifference and rebellion that he continues by his indwelling Holy Spirit to work to sanctify you to guarantee that you would ultimately arrive at that destination that he set apart for you before the beginning of time. You see how much the love of God abounds upon us as believers, how much it abounds upon you.

Can you remember times when God came to you graciously when you were so discouraged when you were so rebellious and God brought a word to you brought a friend to you brought a scripture passage to you that altered your Outlook and where once there had been anger and discouragement. It was replaced with joy and peace even in your Christian experience friend that is the display of the love of God for us and one day one day when we are in heaven and we see Christ face-to-face. We see all of the glory that the now we only see darkly as if in a darkened mirror we see the fullness of the glory of what God has done for us.

We are going to spend all of eternity. Exploring the infinite depths of the great love that he has had for us in exploring the great infinite glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. It will never get old. It will never, it will never be stale to us we will never tire of it says the Steve Green song, our hearts will never tire of Christ and and of what he has done for us.

This is a manifestation of how great the love of God is this is this is how much he has loved us and the gospel displays that for all of us to see we been loved with everlasting love, led by grace that love to know precious spirit from above Dallas taught me.

It is so is the hymn writer said so in light of this everlasting love. We see the glory of the gospel which points to the glory of Christ, and it is that love is that power that is changed our lives and enables us to step back here today and whatever else is happening, we can say with confidence and with with full affirmation and joy in our hearts. The gospel's glorious Lord Jesus Christ is glorious. Look at all that he is done for me in love and so we love him for that, the Christ has sought our interest at the cost of self-sacrifice is established in our hearts, never to be questioned again that our God is a good God, he is a loving, gracious patient God, and we love him for it. In the gospel is what's made that known to us and so we consider the way the gospel has changed lives how it reveals God's love.

Thirdly, with the gospel is glorious because it reveals God's sovereignty. It reveals his authority over all and the. The free way that he has to operate however he chooses. As we continue in this passage in first Thessalonians chapter 1, Paul traces the salvation of the Thessalonians, all the way back. He traces it back to God's electing love for them.

Notice what's happened here that that in those opening two verses. He spoke of their their labor of love, their faith, their hope he takes it back and says it's obvious that God has has loved you, your beloved by God. He takes it all the way back to its its original source where it ultimately came from and we see that in verse four when the apostle Paul says, knowing brethren beloved by God. His choice of you. Salvation was a divine selection of believers. Scripture is very clear that we love because he first loved us that God was the originating source of salvation. That salvation was entirely his idea if it had been left to us.

We would've gone into our our hopeless, sinful, wicked ways, and ultimately have been and perish forever. But it's because God loved us before the beginning of time that he worked in us and chose us before time that we might experience these blessings, of which we have spoken salvation originates in God's choice not in yours.

For those who consider that the time in which they believed in and speaking very loosely here. The time where in their conscious experience they yielded to Christ in a sense they chose Christ understand that that behind that choice was a prior choice by God that determined that outcome and so salvation was God's sovereign purpose.

We love because he first loved us not invite you to see a parallel passage that expands on this and in second Thessalonians chapter 2, second Thessalonians chapter 2 in verse 13 second Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 13, Paul is again giving thanks for these believers. In a subsequent letter and he says this he says we should always give thanks to God for you, brethren beloved by the Lord because here it is the thanks goes to God because of what God did, we should give thanks to God for you because God has chosen you from the beginning for salvation through sanctification by the spirit and faith in the truth it was for this he called you through our gospel, that you may gain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.

No man has a right to salvation because all of send and fallen short of the glory of God.

What the gospel reveals to us is that despite our guilt and rebellion. Despite our lostness and deadness and sin God in love chose us sovereignly by his free will, according to nothing in us no foreseen faith. No preparatory works. Nothing of the sort by his sheer pleasure in his sheer love God sovereignly chose us to enter into this salvation, the Christ so graciously perfect, just for his people, and so this is an act of distinguishing loved by God. He has set goodness he has given us a an unspeakably great gift that we did not deserve that we could not have earned. God has given the two of us that out of the freeness of his love and the freeness of his mercy, and all we can do is say wow that is glorious I and I remember something of what I used to be. What a wretch and a rebel. I was now to be on the receiving end of this gift in the love that is behind it from the great Creator and the great Redeemer of mankind. What love the gospel reveals that it makes it known to us in a way that draws us to worship the draws us to adoration that that consumes all of our affections and draws us to fear him, and in a manner of of reverence and respect and gladness, and wholehearted life worship in response to him is what the gospel does it changes lives. It reveals God's love. It reveals his sovereignty and as a result of that, as we said many times over the past weekend. Further back into the past as well. As a result of this we understand that there is nothing for us to boast about that. We are Christians. There is nothing for us to to call attention to ourselves or to take pride in. We are gladly and thoroughly humbled before Christ gladly and thoroughly humbled before the gospel, and we understand that it is solely Dale Gloria to God alone be the glory that we enjoy this great gift of salvation. Now my unsaved friend.

I'm still not done talking to you as long as you're holding out. I want to keep talking to you about it as well.

Understand that that God is graciously again bringing to bear upon your mind and on your conscience to come to Christ and in and in all of the meager earnestness that I can but I can muster in all of the. The limitations of my human language and dependence upon Christ and his Holy Spirit I call you again to come to Christ that to come out of your sin to come out of the world and to come to this Christ who loves sinners just like you and freely offers himself for the forgiveness of your sin and for eternal life. I know I'm starting to repeat myself not only in this message. But over the course of what I have said if you're going to repeatedly rejected. I'm going to repeatedly say until something changes until the Lord somehow blesses you and blesses his word to the good of your soul.

Why would I stop simply because your resistant if matters of great eternal consequence are here and Christ is seeking your well-being in offering you the eternal blessedness that that he reserves for those who love him. My friend lay aside the weapons of your rebellion about the knee and come to Christ in the gospel. You can see that there is a genuine love for your soul.

There that seek your well-being and will secure it if you will repent and turn to Christ in faith, indeed all of heaven rejoices when even one sinner repents and gives his or her life over to the Lordship of Jesus Christ we pray that you know him in that way friend you been listening to the truth pulpit with Don green Don will be bringing us the conclusion of today's lesson on our next broadcast. Meanwhile, if you'd like to find out more about our ministry.

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